Kerry

I guess I will listen to Kerry’s speech tonight. I haven’t really checked him out.

There are a number of things he could say to win my vote. If he denounces the war in Iraq and pledges to bring our troops home immediately, I’ll vote for him. If he denounces the Patriot Act and pledges to repeal it, I’ll vote for him. If he promises universal healthcare or an end to the drug war, I’ll vote for him. If he condemns American imperialism, I’ll vote for him. If he says that gay people should be allowed to marry, I’ll vote for him.

I think any reasonable person should support all of these ideas, but I’ll vote for him if he supports just one.

My in-laws showed up in town earlier than expected yesterday, and I didn’t catch Kerry’s speech because I was guzzling beer with them instead. I did find an AP story listing promises from the speech, and I don’t see anything there that really wins me over. Of everything (I read) he said, I like the idea of smaller class sizes and alternative energy sources the most. But I’m skeptical. I believe Clinton mandated smaller class sizes, and I’ve seen that simply ignored here in New Orleans. As for investing alternative energy sources, that would obviously be good, but it might just be a vague platitude.